Financial and property issues

Save for resolving concerns about children, for most of our clients their major concern is how matrimonial property will be distributed upon divorce or dissolution. Our team has considerable experience in resolving these concerns with a focus on reaching a successful outcome for your future life.

The first stage is identifying what the matrimonial assets comprise of – this is what family solicitors refer to as the ‘matrimonial pot’. Typically this will include the family home, savings, pensions, other properties in the UK or abroad and any business assets. Both parties will make a full and frank disclosure to one another, usually by completing a financial statement known as a ‘Form E’.

Every financial case is unique and the court’s focus will always be upon achieving what is ‘fair’ in all the circumstances of the case. There is no formula for determining what is ‘fair’. In some cases fairness will mean splitting the assets on a 50/50 basis and in others there may be justification for an uneven split. Whilst our advice on every case is bespoke and designed to fit your needs, there are common factors which will impact any settlement:

The length of the marriage;

The income, earning capacity and financial resources of each person;

The respective financial needs of each party to the marriage, and those of their children;

The standard of living enjoyed during the marriage;

The age of each person.

Our team’s experience in family law means we are experts at making sure our advice takes into account all of these factors to ensure you are getting realistic, commercial and practical advice for your case. Whilst providing this advice we will focus on putting in place a sensible timetable for the progression of your matter together with a transparent approach to your legal fees.

We encourage you to contact us in the first instance if you are unhappy with the service you receive from us. Contact John O’Callaghan, the complaints partner at j.ocallaghan@rfblegal.co.uk; alternatively in some circumstances you may be able to make use of the ODR platform.